Sandhill cranes feed on seeds, grains, insects and small animals. The sandhill mostly eats grain. The whooping crane is also native to North America. Preferably fresh corn. For the good of the cranes, please do not feed them. People report that the birds are gobbling up spilled bird seed, snapping off flower heads and digging up small plants and bulbs. Sandhill cranes dine on wild berries, seeds of many kinds, and when the possibility presents itself, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates such as snails and insects. Also, they'll eat commercially purchased bird feed. During migration, the cranes … There are many reasons why cranes should not be intentionally fed by humans. Cranes will eat just about anything: seeds, grain, berries, insects, worms, mice, small birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and crayfish, according to the FWC website.

A beautiful yard and garden plus multiple bird feeders and bird baths appear as a welcome oasis to these cranes. Sandhill cranes feed on frogs, fish and insects as well as fruit, aquatic plants and seeds. Sandhill Cranes eat shelled corn, which is just kernels. It lives and breeds in environments of shallow water such as lagoons and marshes. It also eats grain, but eats snails, crustaceans, frogs, fish and insects as well. What actually brings them into conflict with man, particularly farmers, is their decided taste for cultivated foods. Florida sandhill cranes have an abundance of natural foods (insects and small animals) and they do not need handouts from humans. Though once endangered, sandhill cranes “have long been considered ‘recovered’ and have been hunted in some states since 1961,” the DNR says.